EZAKIMAK 11,053′ FULL MOON CHALLENGE

Date / Time

Apr 04 / 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Location

Category

Winter Events, Family Fun, Entertainment, Cross Country Ski, Après

Challenge yourself. Race from the base of Mammoth Mountain to the top of Eleven53 on cross country skis, snowshoes or by foot. The Ezakimak will bring participants from 9,000ft to 11,053ft in a winter trial featuring both competitive and novice classes.

Spectators and family can take an evening gondola ride to witness the spring Pink Moon from atop the Sierra and cheer on their participant. The top of the mountain will be buzzing with indoor/outdoor fun for the whole family including the Ezakimak finish line, music, food and drinks, kids activities and more.

5K | 2,000ft of Elevation Gain

Dates: Saturday, April 4, 2015
Time: 4pm-10pm

About Ezakimak

Ezakimak is Kamikaze spelled backwards. Our legendary Kamikaze mountain bike trail spans from Mammoth Mountain’s peak, weaving through the “backside” of the mountain and finishing at our Main Lodge. We’re bringing summer fun to the snow with a backwards race, we’re sending you uphill. Participants can cross country ski, snowshoe or run their way up the Kamikaze trail under the light of a spring full moon.

Mammoth Mountain has received more than 75 inches of natural snow this winter, as of Jan. 15. When conditions have allowed, the resort has added to that total with machine-made snow. (Mammoth Mountain Ski Area photo)

This is the first in a series of updates from mountain resorts in California and Nevada.

What’s new at Mammoth Mountain: While there were no major capital projects to introduce this winter, the resort is part of the new Cali4nia Pass, which also includes June, Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. Also, four acres of bowls, berms, banks and bumps await all skill levels at Mammoth’s Rhythm Ridge. This winter’s expansion of direct air service from Las Vegas and Denver is making it easier for skiers and boarders from the East Coast and overseas to get to the resort. (The United Kingdom has long been a big market for Mammoth.) Flights to and from Denver started Dec. 20, while service to and from Las Vegas started Jan. 15. Also new: a promotion for kids 12 and younger who will get to ski and stay free in February and March.

Best eats: The Brasserie at Mammoth Rock ’n’ Bowl (www.mammothrocknbowl.com) has a menu that was created by executive chef Fredric Pierrel, who was classically trained in Gerardmer, France, and graduated with honors from Lycee Hotelier et Culinairer. Selections include braised Australian lamb shank, elk medallions and natural pork mignon — certainly not your traditional bowling alley fare. For pre- or post-dinner entertainment, there are 12 bowling lanes, ping-pong tables, foosball, dartboards, golf simulators and a bar/lounge with a dance floor.

Après hot spot: Mammoth Tavern (www.mammothtavern.com). “They serve up the freshest cocktails in the coolest rustic alpine space with fun, creative dishes like the swordfish BLT and fried chicken sliders,” says Lauren Burke, Mammoth spokeswoman, adding that the Tavern Margarita is a must-try. “I’m claiming it as the best in town,” she adds. Another option is the Mammoth Brewing Company tasting room (www.mammothbrewingco.com), which is located at Main Street and Lake Mary Road just below the gondola, and has 13 beers on tap, including Imperial Root Beer.

For the family: Woolly’s Tube Park has high-speed snow tubes, a large snow play area and merry-go-round tubes for the littlest ones. There will be tubing under the disco lights on select dates in January and February.

Hidden gem: Coyote, between chairs 3 and 5. “People know about it, but it’s not intuitive how to get to it,” says Rusty Gregory, Mammoth’s chairman and CEO. “You ski down the face of Chair 3 and make a right and kind of go past some trees and then you’re in this great run that drops you to the bottom of Chair 5. That’s my favorite getaway spot at Mammoth.”

December has been good to Mammoth! With nearly 5 feet of fresh snow falling this month Mammoth is set to open all of its base areas today (Canyon and Eagle lodges) and new terrain, including chairs 8, 15,16 and 17.

In total, Mammoth now has 18 chairs open, servicing 80 trails, the most in California by some margin.

Some great action shots by Kevin Westenbarger from the weekend’s storms are available here. Also have some good video shot yesterday here.

This is all good news for last-minute holiday travel planners. Night of Lightson Saturday is a can’t miss Eastern Sierra tradition and NYE at Mammoth can be celebrated a number of ways, with programming for both Familes and Party Animals.

The storm gates have officially opened and the season is underway here at Mammoth Mountain! It received 13-22 inches of sweet, sweet snow with a storm that rolled in yesterday and there’s more on the way.

Conditions up there are awesome and they’re just getting better. Want to be the first to know when it snows? Sign up for our Fresh Snow and Dump Alert emails here.

Mammoth is currently getting hammered by a system that’s likely to leave between 2-3 feet of fresh on the summit when it’s all said and done.

Also, Mammoth is offering a snow guarantee good for bookings by Dec. 15. It’s pretty straight forward, if the base depth isn’t at the required level, guests get the option of a $100 gift card or the ability to move the reservation dates with no fees or penalties. Though with all this snow, shouldn’t be much of an issue!

Snow was falling earlier today at the base of Mammoth Mountain’s Broadway Express. Forecasts call for as much as 3 feet of fresh powder by Thursday morning. (Photo by Kevin Westenbarger/MMSA)

By Jerry Rice

Mammoth Mountain is at the center of a storm system that’s likely to leave between 2 to 3 feet of fresh powder on the 11,060-foot summit by Thursday morning. As of 4 p.m. today, 7-10 inches of new snow was being reported at the base.

The Eastern Sierra resort also is offering a “snow guarantee,” which is good for bookings made by Dec. 15. It goes like this: if the base depth isn’t at a certain minimum level, guests get the option of a $100 gift card or the ability to change the reservation dates without being charged fees or penalties.

In other words, if the reservations are for Jan. 1, for example, the base depth needs to be 40 inches or more. If not, guests can take advantage of the guarantee. By Jan. 15, the level rises to 50 inches. The chart has dates through Feb. 15, and is available here.

Earlier, we reported that this could be California’s best ski and snowboard season in years. Don’t believe it? We have three reasons for the well-placed optimism.

Cheers go out from skiers and boarders riding the first chair of the winter Thursday morning at Mammoth Mountain. (Photo by Peter Morning/Mammoth Mountain Ski Area)

Let the skiing and snowboarding begin!

Mammoth Mountain opened Thursday morning for the 2014-15 winter season with some snowy weather – hopefully a preview of the months ahead. Flurries added to the 12-16 inches of natural and manmade snow already at the resort.

Broadway Express was running with access to Broadway and Upper Main Park. The Unbound Terrain Park crew set up 10 jibs and one jump in Upper Main Park, which was quickly filled with freestyle skiers and snowboarders.

After first chair, Greg Dallas, Mammoth Mountain’s COO, offered his greetings: “Thank you for being here and sharing the excitement and passion of opening day with us. … Here’s to a great year!”

Dust off your skis and snowboards, call your friends, and start this season off right. Mammoth Mountain is kicking off opening day on Thursday with its traditional Broadway Express banner breakthrough and annual beer toast. Enjoy live music, food, and drinks on the Main Lodge sundeck during the day, contests in the park and more.
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14

1-4pm – Live music on the Main Lodge Sundeck7-10pm – Giro Season Opener: Pathology Film Premiere hosted by Giro Snow at Campo Mammoth

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15

11am – Hang out in Main Park featuring the Mophie Jam, 32 TF debut, DJ in the Monster DJ booth and specials at the Little Mill1-4pm – Live music on the Main Lodge Sundeck6:30pm – Eastside K9 Fundraiser: Days of My Youth movie viewing at Canyon Lodge